Bridgegate Now Has A Spaceship

Bridgegate is not just a traffic jam -- it is a scandal that touches on just about every mode of transportation mankind has so far developed. And now we have spaceships. A recap:

Cars: The Sept. 9-13, 2013, double-lane closures in the town of Fort Lee, NJ, to the George Washington Bridge left thousands of cars idling in traffic for hours on end.

Ambulances: The traffic jam was so severe that emergency officials reported delays that threatened public safety. No deaths were directly attributable, however.

Choppers: After the scandal broke wide open, on Jan. 9, 2014, Gov. Christie held a two-hour news conference and then flew by state police helicopter to Fort Lee, where he personally apologized to Mayor Mark Sokolich. Later, unfounded rumors surfaced that Christie had flown over Fort Lee to inspect the traffic jam as it happened.

Airplanes: At one point last summer, Bridget "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" Kelly joked with David Wildstein, the Port Authority official who closed the lanes, about causing some air-traffic delays to Tel Aviv for a New Jersey rabbi. In fact, since the Port Authority overseas Newark Airport, which has direct flights to Tel Aviv, this plan could theoretically have been executed.

Spaceships: In an email first reported Wednesday night by The Bergen Records' Shawn Boburg, Wildstein was said to have come up with "small-ball ideas" -- apparently for building Christie political support -- including inviting selected guests to the John F. Kennedy Airport tarmac for a space shuttle landing. “Would like to see your office develop that [guest] list,” Wildstein wrote to Bill Stepien, Christie's then-political adviser.

Matt Katz, New Jersey Public Radio/WNYC

Political reporter Matt Katz is The Christie Tracker at WNYC.org. NJ Spotlight is hosting his blog and running his stories, which can also be heard on WNYC 93.9 FM and 820 AM, as well as New Jersey Public Radio: Trenton 88.1, Sussex 88.5, Netcong 89.3, and Toms River 90.3.